The Real KD: Simmons Praises Durant’s Unwavering Authenticity
Kevin Durant will go down in history as one of the best basketball players of all time. However, it doesn’t mean he is a beloved figure among NBA circles, as his genuineness on and off the court has rubbed plenty of people the wrong way.
Not Bill Simmons, though. The longtime sports analyst loves Durant for not hiding behind a mask. He voiced his support for the Phoenix Suns superstar in a recent episode of his podcast.
“I think he’s one of the most authentic superstars we’ve had in any sport this century — almost to his own detriment a lot of the time,” Simmons said of Durant.
Hated not just for being real
Of course, it’s not only KD’s authenticity that has been criticized by the media. Many have said that his MVP speech was the only redeeming moment of his basketball career.
He has been panned for many of his decisions, including joining the Golden State Warriors the offseason after losing to them in the previous playoffs, leaving the Dubs high and dry to play alongside his friend Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets, and getting into social media fights too often.
And who can forget Durant’s Twitter burner scandal? People probably would have let that pass since it’s common for celebrities to have an alt account. However, throwing the Oklahoma City Thunder organization and his former coach, Billy Donovan, under the bus while thinking he was using the burner account just didn’t sit right with many in the NBA world.
Joining the Nets didn’t improve KD’s reputation, especially since he reportedly gave the team’s top brass a him-or-me ultimatum when he requested a trade in 2022.
